Distressing but crucial

It’s hurting but they have to leave, otherwise they will face the impact of a landslide. This is the predicament of about forty families consisting of a hundred individuals who will face force evacuation as they are occupying a landslide prone area at Shrine Hills Diversion Road. The City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Center (CDRRMC) will implement the evacuation order today based on the recommendation of the Mines Bureau as it confirmed of a crack in the area seen to result to a serious landslide, thus, posing danger to residents specifically in times of heavy rains and earthquake. The Comprehensive Land Use Plan of the city government has also declared Shrine Hills as unsafe.

These families have been living in the area for years and have been going to and from the area in times of heavy rains and thereafter. Despite the hustle of going back and forth, still, they stand the difficulty and chose to be back to the area where they live for quite a long time amidst the present danger. The city however is receptive to the consequences of their evacuation allowing them to temporarily stay at Los Amigos relocation. Problem is, if they will not qualify for relocation, then they have to move out again, a perennial problem confronting the poor. Most of these families have scavenging as source of livelihood, that’s why they prefer to reside at the diversion road.

The act of removing them out from the area is to mitigate the danger which they will go through. The evacuation order is rather harsh but necessary to save lives. This is one aspect which the affected families have to accept instead of criticizing the local government for forcing them away from their risky homes. The city has the obligation to look after the welfare of the people because if it will not, it would be answerable if lives are lost to landslide and corresponding disasters. Since the area is declared danger zone, there is legitimate reason for the local government to ban the families from going back to the area. This would be another blow to the families, a more serious challenge they have to face. It would be best these families learn to look for other means of livelihood so they would not keep coming back to the danger zone.

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